Right Wing Pro-Gun Excuse of the Day: Blame the 1968 Democratic Convention

Daniel Henninger weighs in with yet another ridiculous right wing excuse for gun violence; in this article for Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal, Henninger argues that to really understand why the Newtown school shooting happened, we have to go back, back through years, all the way to 1968 (cue harp glissandos), when everything started to go wrong thanks to the hippies and the anti-wars and the college professors and the intellectuals and the mmm glavin!

We think it is possible to identify the date when the U.S., or more precisely when many people within it, began to tip off the emotional tracks. A lot of people won’t like this date, because it makes their political culture culpable for what has happened. The date is August 1968, when the Democratic National Convention found itself sharing Chicago with the street fighters of the anti-Vietnam War movement.

The real blame here does not lie with the mobs who fought bloody battles with the hysterical Chicago police. The larger responsibility falls on the intellectuals—university professors, politicians and journalistic commentators—who said then that the acts committed by the protesters were justified or explainable. That was the beginning. America had a new culture for political action and for personal living.

The virtue known as self-restraint was devalued. Certain rules that for a long time had governed behavior also became devalued. Whatever else was going on here, we were lowering the barriers of acceptable political and personal conduct.

Clearly, 1968 was a very traumatic year for Mr. Henninger; he still hasn’t recovered.

Seriously? Anything to deny the gun problem. Blame something that today's average 20 year old has little to no knowledge of. Yeah, that's the ticket, Mr. Henninger. Blame the hippies. Real original pal.

Trying to make sense of this bizarre right-wing NOISE, I think some of it is motivated by the clash between the small-government Republicans (like I used to be) and the big-government "let's have a Christian theocracy" Republicans.

This conflict is often drowned out by having a common enemy, which for now is President Obama. But I suppose even a hated common enemy sometimes isn't enough to hide the great differences between the small- and big-government Republicans. This is where NOISE comes in. As silly as it is, noise can drown out the Republican identity crisis for one more day.

Simple silliness can drown things out as well. But at some point, Republicans will have to deal with who is in their big tent: small-government libertarians, big-government theocrats, and a sad crew of losers who have problems with women and/or non-whites and/or non-Christians and/or gays.

Oakland, California, the fifth-most crime ridden city in America, faced a $32 million budget deficit last year. It closed the gap by dismissing a fourth of its police force, more than 200 officers.

Untouched was the $17.3 million that the city pays to stage 10 games a season for the National Football League’s Oakland Raiders and to host Major League Baseball’s Athletics in the O.co Coliseum. The funds cover debt financing and operations and are supplemented by $13.3 million from surrounding Alameda County, based on data compiled by Bloomberg from public records.

“If someone calls 911, you’re looking at an indeterminate amount of time before an officer can respond,” says Barry Donelan, 40, a sergeant who is president of the Oakland police union. “Citizens are suffering.” Reversing a renewed rise in violent crime is out of the question, he says.

Just wanted to use this thread to say thanks to everyone who condemned the Maggie Gallagher article that did a lot of broadbrushing of people with autism and on the autistic spectrum. Really means a lot to me being on the spectrum myself.

Some of us were born after 1968. We don't remember any of those events aside from as test questions in American History class in school. Not everything in this country has to do with Vietnam and the hippies.

I watched the Democratic National Convention on the teevee. The "riot" that was going on was started and mostly carried out by the police. I guess the Democrats are at fault because they protested the "open season on demonstrators" that had been declared by the mayor of Chicago.

"So thank your lucky stars you've got protection,
Walk the line and never count the cost...."

1968? The DNC in 1968? That didn't rate in yesterday's attempt to catalog all the excuses for Newtown that the right has proffered other than the blindingly obvious abundance and availability of firearms. Damn. We should have seen that one coming.

Come to think of it, shouldn't the Internet be the main reason why we have these mass murders?

Oddly (or perhaps not so odd considering), all but two of the school massacres and a majority of the massacres perpetrated by rampage killers around the world ended with the shooters committing suicide - not in shootouts with police or other bystanders.

The virtue known as self-restraint was devalued. Certain rules that for a long time had governed behavior also became devalued. Whatever else was going on here, we were lowering the barriers of acceptable political and personal conduct.

What's that like carpet bombing, use of napalm against a civilian population, water boarding of prisoners, collecting ears or foreskins of dead enemy combatants and Agent Orange?

1968? The DNC in 1968? That didn't rate in yesterday's attempt to catalog all the excuses for Newtown that the right has proffered other than the blindingly obvious abundance and availability of firearms. Damn. We should have seen that one coming.

Come to think of it, shouldn't the Internet be the main reason why we have these mass murders?

Oddly (or perhaps not so odd considering), all but two of the school massacres and a majority of the massacres perpetrated by rampage killers around the world ended with the shooters committing suicide - not in shootouts with police or other bystanders.

How could murders have occurred in or before 1968? There weren't any video games around.

Anyone want to guess whether the NRA will propose meaningful and constructive solutions in the wake of #Newtown?

I've run into a few people who are considering joining the NRA because they believe that Feinstein, et al, really will attempt a door to door confiscation of all guns. One down right hates the NRA but feels he has no voice in the discussion and that without them he'll be killed by the ATF for having a shotgun. Seriously.

I watched the Democratic National Convention on the teevee. The "riot" that was going on was started and mostly carried out by the police. I guess the Democrats are at fault because they protested the "open season on demonstrators" that had been declared by the mayor of Chicago.

"So thank your lucky stars you've got protection,
Walk the line and never count the cost...."

I watched the riots in person from a tree in Lincoln Park. I was there with some friends to strum a guitar, sing a bit of Kumbaya and toke a few when all hell broke loose. We had a wall of battle-dressed, billy-club wielding police officers elbow to elbow marching towards/through us on one side and Lake Michigan (which offered no escape) on the other. One of my buds, a big street-wise guy from the south side thought quickly enough to get us up in that tree where we pulled him up after us.

Saw a lot from that vantage point. It certainly knocked the rose-colored glasses off. A lot more reality than I had been looking for.

Yea, I saw that derpalicious page. Way to twist Temple Grandin's own words. I don't think anyone who calls homosexuality a "dysfunction" ought to be taken seriously.

Yeah, Gallagher's a hateful person. Not surprised, she's found a new target after making a good living hating on gays. By the way, being on the spectrum is why I fight so hard for gay rights. I know it's not quite the same but being on the spectrum I think has given me a lot of perspective on why equality and acceptance is such a worthwhile goal.

Some of us were born after 1968. We don't remember any of those events aside from as test questions in American History class in school. Not everything in this country has to do with Vietnam and the hippies.

Please move your cultural references up a few decades. Thanks.

No love,
Me

Something that was notable but unreported about the election this year was that it was the first one in 40 years to not be about the "the 60s", Vietnam, and related Boomer obsessions.

These right-wingers need to realize that time has marched on while they were locked in a fantasy life that's basically Dirty Harry and Death Wish movies playing in an infinite loop (with an occasional showing of Red Dawn to break up the monotony).

Steven Crowder has posted what he claims are the "unedited" tapes from the Michigan demonstration. Except that it is still edited and full of cuts and gaps and black screens with text "explaining" what is going on...

The one good thing in this footage is that it becomes apparent that the guy in the Guy Fawkes mask was with them, I guess he was their back up plan if they could not goad the union people into doing something stupid.

Something that was notable but unreported about the election this year was that it was the first one in 40 years to not be about the "the 60s", Vietnam, and related Boomer obsessions.

These right-wingers need to realize that time has marched on while they were locked in a fantasy life that's basically Dirty Harry and Death Wish movies playing in an infinite loop (with an occasional showing of Red Dawn to break up the monotony).

And it's only to get more and more distant as time goes on. They really want to live in the same world that allowed Nixon to get elected president. The irony of course is that Nixon would be far too liberal for them now and that they'd probably embrace George C. Wallace because they'd see him as a "true conservative."

Not saying it because I believe it but because I've seen people do this. The claim is and this is technically true but that Fred Phelps is a registered Democrat and once supported Al Gore for president. What they don't tell you is party registration is just that and not any real indictator of a person's ideology. And two he did support Gore in 1988 which is I believe before he went nuts but also ended up picketing Gore's father's funeral in 2000.

It's funny, because to me the Tea Party is just like the bizarro version of that whole Chicago/New Left scene from 40+ years ago. Same nihilism, same fondness for dressing up in period costumes (Indians then, "Founders" now), same constant whining about "the establishment".

They use the fact that Phelps is a registered Democrat. Because you know David Duke being a registered Republican totally tells you everything you need to know about David Duke's ideology and the Republican party's. And I'm being totally sarcastic because as much as I dislike the Republican party, they're not as repugnant as Duke's ideology.

Steven Crowder has posted what he claims are the "unedited" tapes from the Michigan demonstration. Except that it is still edited and full of cuts and gaps and black screens with text "explaining" what is going on...

[Embedded content]

The one good thing in this footage is that it becomes apparent that the guy in the Guy Fawkes mask was with them, I guess he was their back up plan if they could not goad the union people into doing something stupid.

Hmmm, so the union guys were chanting "block this tent", then maybe, "take this tent", but by the time they got to "fuck your ass" they were chanting without moving their lips? Diabolical!
I couldn't help but note that "bum rushing the tent" appeared to be people milling aimlessly around. And the "assault" scene looked like Crowder had done something to knock the union guy down. Good luck taking that to a jury.

Blame the Hippies is the new theme? Blame the young, the brown skinned, the heathens, the young, the furrinors who don't speak American English. Blame the government, the communists, the liberals. Blame Cain, Blame Abel.

Does it matter, what are we going to do to move forward regardless of whose fault it might be?

By that logic, Randall Terry is also a left winger, since he ran against Obama this year in the Democratic party primaries.

Dude these are the same people who point out to the "socialist" in National Socialist party and use it as proof that the Nazis were lefties. Totally ignoring that their main enemies in their rise to power were the moderate socialist, SPD(Socialist Party of Germany) and the KPD(Communist Party of Germany) and that they imprisoned many left wingers. Then again, you point out to them that nearly all Communist regimes call themselves Democratic and you get an odd silent stare.

Dude these are the same people who point out to the "socialist" in National Socialist party and use it as proof that the Nazis were lefties. Totally ignoring that their main enemies in their rise to power were the moderate socialist, SPD(Socialist Party of Germany) and the KPD(Communist Party of Germany) and that they imprisoned many left wingers. Then again, you point out to them that nearly all Communist regimes call themselves Democratic and you get an odd silent stare.

I mean for crying out loud guys. They bring up the fact that the Dixiecrats were Democrats and then they totally ignore that Reagan and Nixon brought them to the Republican Party via the Southern Strategy. So, when you see someone who claims Phelps is a left winger because he once was a registered Dem, that's the kind of logic you're dealing with.

We think it is possible to identify the date when the U.S., or more precisely when many people within it, began to tip off the emotional tracks. A lot of people won’t like this date, because it makes their political culture culpable for what has happened. The date is August 1968

So Charles Whitman, the 1966 UT tower sniper, was driven off the rails by his precognitive abilities.

So Charles Whitman, the 1966 UT tower sniper, was driven off the rails by his precognitive abilities.

I thought it was really at the end of the Civil War. A lot of emotions and intellected imploded. Really, some very, very basic concepts that were the norm for centuries were invalidated by in the US at that time. A human cannot own another human.

Yeah, Gallagher's a hateful person. Not surprised, she's found a new target after making a good living hating on gays. By the way, being on the spectrum is why I fight so hard for gay rights. I know it's not quite the same but being on the spectrum I think has given me a lot of perspective on why equality and acceptance is such a worthwhile goal.

You ain't the only one here on the spectrum. A number of us are either on it, or have relatives on it. We know first hand where you are coming from.

Franklin Graham called in to American Family Radio today to talk with the AFA's leading conspiracy theorist Buster Wilson about a variety of issues, including last week's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which Graham blamed on television and music and video games before inevitably blaming the supposed removal of God from our schools and public places, saying "these politicians in Washington; we've taken God our of our school, we've taken him out of our government and now we seem shocked at all of these things. Why are we shocked? We shouldn't be shocked. This is what happens when a society turns its back on God":

If Lanza hadn't had immediate access to an arsenal of guns, it would have been a lot harder for him to do what he did. It's easy to kill a bunch of people in a hail of bullets. It's that much harder to stab or beat them to death.

Forget the Doha climate jamboree that ended earlier this month. The theological discussions in Qatar of the arcana of climate treaties are irrelevant. By far the most important debate about climate change is taking place among scientists, on the issue of climate sensitivity: How much warming will a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide actually produce? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has to pronounce its answer to this question in its Fifth Assessment Report next year.

The general public is not privy to the IPCC debate. But I have been speaking to somebody who understands the issues: Nic Lewis. A semiretired successful financier from Bath, England, with a strong mathematics and physics background, Mr. Lewis has made significant contributions to the subject of climate change...

Also:

Mr. Ridley writes the Mind and Matter column in The Wall Street Journal and has written on climate issues for various publications for 25 years. His family leases land for coal mining in northern England, on a project that will cease in five years.

Really he says that knowing full well that some of our most violent times as a people were during our most religious. And of course, I don't think Franklin Graham gives two damns about peace knowing that he wants a new holy war between Christians and Muslims.

If Lanza hadn't had immediate access to an arsenal of guns, it would have been a lot harder for him to do what he did. It's easy to kill a bunch of people in a hail of bullets. It's that much harder to stab or beat them to death.

The reason you're seeing all these religious right hucksters pushing this "not enough God" BS is because they know it really works with their audience. I guarantee this line is being preached in churches across America.

Doncha know, he's really a superhero with a cape. He has a front and a back, but doesn't have eyes in the back of his head. So, you can turn your back on his back and it wouldn't matter, he still couldn't see you.

The interesting thing about Texas mass murderer Charles Whitman is that he had a very nasty form of brain tumor that would have soon killed him. It was discovered in his autopsy, and it's quite possible that it influenced his behavior that day.

We would have to begin with a reality-based society. Until the god-botherers/science deniers are no longer taken seriously, that is not going to happen.

Well, I think we have that "system" I talked about in place. It just doesn't work for everyone. There has to be private insurance and family advocacy. And that does work much of the time, but obviously not enough.

I know you also can't help someone who doesn't believe they need it. You can only hope to limit their exposure to danger (i.e AWB).

The interesting thing about Texas mass murderer Charles Whitman is that he had a very nasty form of brain tumor that would have soon killed him. It was discovered in his autopsy, and it's quite possible that it influenced his behavior that day.

The other interesting thing is that IIRC, Whitman knew there was something wrong with him and wanted it investigated after his death.

Doncha know, he's really a superhero with a cape. He has a front and a back, but doesn't have eyes in the back of his head. So, you can turn your back on his back and it wouldn't matter, he still couldn't see you.

There was some fool at FR that just knows what the problem with this country is. It's that we evolved too far past the 1800s when everyone back then had guns (albeit no assault rifles with large magazines). Cuz you know... nobody ever killed anyone back then because we were all armed. Or something.

It makes sense is you understand that within the theological discussion of acts versus faith, US wingnuts have created the new niche of "say magic words constantly or God smacks you around because violent patriarchy is a as above, so below proposition."

There was some fool at FR that just knows what the problem with this country is. It's that we evolved too far past the 1800s when everyone back then had guns (albeit no assault rifles with large magazines). Cuz you know... nobody ever killed anyone back then because we were all armed. Or something.

Everyone could read and write, there was no cancer or disease, every finished high school, got married, had babies they wanted and could raise. Those babies never died of milk poisoning. There were no brown people anywhere you went except as servants.

It makes sense is you understand that within the theological discussion of acts versus faith, US wingnuts have created the new niche of "say magic words constantly or God smacks you around because violent patriarchy is a as above, so below proposition."

It's a very childlike version of the world. It's as if they think the simplified stories told to children to introduce them to spirituality and a just way of living are taken to be fact.

Jesus really did tend a flock of sheep, out in the green pastures of Judeah AND somehow he managed to put in a good-days work as a carpenter.

Everyone could read and write, there was no cancer or disease, every finished high school, got married, had babies they wanted and could raise. Those babies never died of milk poisoning. There were no brown people anywhere you went except as servants.

Don't know what the House record is to date. However, this week will be another example. The House will vote on "Plan B" today which Obama already said he would veto. Meanwhile, Plan B won't even come up for a Senate vote. They love to waste time.

I really like the overhead shot. What an amazing guy though. Medal of Honor winner and had served in the Senate from his state's inception. In a different era, I think a guy like him would have ran for president. I did some research for work one time about the 442nd Infantry Regiment. Amazing guys.

Don't know what the House record is to date. However, this week will be another example. The House will vote on "Plan B" today which Obama already said he would veto. Meanwhile, Plan B won't even come up for a Senate vote. They love to waste time.

I was listening to C-SPAN radio in the car earlier and heard some congress critter talk about Plan B and then said he wanted to talk about Plan A instead. My first thought was, great! I'm going to hear a rant about personal responsibility and not having sex until you are married.

Interesting interview - including interesting details about the radicalization of the NRA from what once was an organization representing the interests of gun owners into an organization largely representing the interests of the gun industry (and exploiting anti-government rightwing rhetoric to do so). Also details about how the gun industry/NRA has effectively prevented public analysis of the data on the #'s of assault weapons that have been used in criminal activity. The next time you hear someone saying that assault weapons have not been used in significant numbers to kill kids, call BULLSHIT - because they don't have the data to back up such statements:

Diaz — who is also the author of the forthcoming book The Last Gun, about changes in the gun industry and gun violence — and his colleagues have conducted extensive research on gun violence in the United States and have written reports on assault weapons, as well as on the National Rifle Association and the corporations that fund it. What gun manufacturers have done to rejuvenate their markets, Diaz tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross, is to emphasize military-derived semi-automatic guns and, in marketing, "appeal to the inner soldier, the insurrectionist feelings and high-tech desires to market these military-style guns."

GOP leaders of the Minnesota House say new proposed social studies academic standards de-emphasize American successes and American patriotism and should be rejected by Gov. Mark Dayton.

"Among the several deficiencies in these proposed standards is the overall de-emphasis on the contributions of the United States and our economic and political ideals," said a letter from Rep. Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, the incoming House Minority Leader, and Rep. Kelby Woodard, R-Belle Plaine, who will be the party's lead on the Education Finance Committee.

[...]

Daudt's letter said "there is no mention of Osama Bin Laden, the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the global war on terrorism, or even the events of Sept. 11, 2001."

It's interesting to see what get's called out as "American successes and American patriotism."

The recent, tragic shootings in Connecticut weigh heavy on us all. The Patriot Guard understands the anguish caused by such a calamity as this and our hearts go out to the family and friends of those affected by this horrific event.

We (PGR) receive hundreds of emails a day requesting the PGR to stand in honor at the planned services. However, the PGR is not a counter protest group. Our mission statement is clear and regrettably the circumstances surrounding this tragic event do not fall within our mission statement. For more details on our missions statement, please go to [Link: www.PatriotGuard.org...] and review the information located in the “About Us” section in the Site Navigation section.

Again, our hearts go out to all of the families of the affected families, and to the community as a whole, for this tremendous loss.

Doncha know, he's really a superhero with a cape. He has a front and a back, but doesn't have eyes in the back of his head. So, you can turn your back on his back and it wouldn't matter, he still couldn't see you.

Craig attempted to use the Newtown massacre to illustrate the horrors of the alleged (but for which no evidence exists) "massacre of the innocents" by Herod. Craig then failed, utterly, to show how any of this can be connected with the "true meaning" of Christmas, unless we are supposed to accept that massacres of innocent children is the only proof that humans are evil and thus, in Craig's presuppositional apologetics, the Gospels are true.

Craig attempted to use the Newtown massacre to illustrate the horrors of the alleged (but for which no evidence exists) "massacre of the innocents" by Herod. Craig then failed, utterly, to show how any of this can be connected with the "true meaning" of Christmas, unless we are supposed to accept that massacres of innocent children is the only proof that humans are evil and thus, in Craig's presuppositional apologetics, the Gospels are true.

Yep, you know that God loves you and has something important planned when he redoes the decor in children's blood.
///

I've been checking retail prices around the country. The big stores like Gander Mountain put this right on their websites, but it is also possible to check prices at local shops. This is because a number of large wholesalers, notably Davidson's, will let you pick a gun from their stock then get several quotes for delivery from affiliated retailers in your area.

As expected, military style "assault weapons" have virtually disappeared. High capacity semi-auto pistols are also in short supply and priced accordingly. What is surprising is that many retailers have also raised their prices on guns that nobody has seriously suggested subjecting to further regulation. Many retailers are asking more than MSRP on items like single action revolvers and bolt action rifles. A few weeks ago, before the election, these were often steeply discounted. One local store quoted $756 for a particular Ruger #1 in September, and are now wanting $1150 for the same gun. This is an ultra-traditional single-shot rifle that would be among the very last items subjected to any kind of additional regulation.

Hypothesis: A sizable part of the market believes it will shortly be illegal to buy ANY kind of firearm. This should not really be a surprise given all the hysterical propaganda about the (non-existent) UN small arms treaty or Obama's intention to seize dictatorial emergency powers.

People are people. Some are more or less stable than others, some are more or less violent than others. No matter how sensible or stable we are, we are still prone to doing dumb things from time to time. The real issues is what the consequences might be.

If we do something dumb or crazy with a tweet, we hurt some feelings, face social embarrassment, and may lose our jobs.

If we do something dumb or crazy with a car, we may kill ourselves and others.

If we do something dumb or crazy with a gun, we will also probably kill or seriously injure someone.

It is obvious that dangerous things like cars and guns should be kept away from those who cannot handle them. That is why we license and regulate who can use a car, and have a lot of rules in how they can be used. It's not perfect, and people still die all the time due to human error and stupidity. But cars are a necessity of the modern world, and we cannot realistically function without them at this point.

Guns, on the other hand, have a lot less rules associated with them, and people who cannot handle them get a hold of them much more easily. Ask Nancy Lanza. Furthermore, and this is most important, guns serve no function in civilian society. They are solely for entertainment.

And ultimately, the price America pays for the entertainment of a few of its people is a lot of blood and death. Completely unnecessary blood and death.

This is the decision Australia came to - that guns are not necessary, and do not make us more safe or more free. It is America's unique delusion that continues to cost the lives of your neighbours and children.

I've been checking retail prices around the country. The big stores like Gander Mountain put this right on their websites, but it is also possible to check prices at local shops. This is because a number of large wholesalers, notably Davidson's, will let you pick a gun from their stock then get several quotes for delivery from affiliated retailers in your area.

As expected, military style "assault weapons" have virtually disappeared. High capacity semi-auto pistols are also in short supply and priced accordingly. What is surprising is that many retailers have also raised their prices on guns that nobody has seriously suggested subjecting to further regulation. Many retailers are asking more than MSRP on items like single action revolvers and bolt action rifles. A few weeks ago, before the election, these were often steeply discounted. One local store quoted $756 for a particular Ruger #1 in September, and are now wanting $1150 for the same gun. This is an ultra-traditional single-shot rifle that would be among the very last items subjected to any kind of additional regulation.

Hypothesis: A sizable part of the market believes it will shortly be illegal to buy ANY kind of firearm. This should not really be a surprise given all the hysterical propaganda about the (non-existent) UN small arms treaty or Obama's intention to seize dictatorial emergency powers.

Promoting this kind of crap in suggestible rubes is good for business. The negative externalities of heavily arming an unstable fringe element of society, while simultaneously encouraging them to go off their rockers, are costs that are not borne by gun makers or sellers.

The Wall Street Journal must now have the lowest standards for journalism in history. They've been pushing "trickle down economics" too haven't they, and they were supposed to be a journal that knew economics.

In order to blame a massacre by a man born in 1992 to a conservative family on 1968, Daniel Henninger has to be the sort of obsessed moron who spends all day, every day muttering under his breath about the damn hippies. I'm sure he's convinced that the 1968 democratic convention is responsible for his impotent penis and his hacking cough. The mirror image of an anti-semite, he's just screaming "hippies!" instead.

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For the last three years it's been my privilege to help coach a dedicated group of young women who have founded the first Women's Flat-Track Roller Derby league in Israel. They've learned, trained, fought, and worked unbelievably hard to bring ...

Added bold is all mine. this was an awkward way to go about gun control anyway. It clearly impacts the law abiding far more than felons, and is by that definition inefficient and intrusive at best. Gonna have to do ...

Frank says:

I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone's teeth get cleaner? -- In response to Tipper Gore's allegations that music incites people towards deviant behavior, or influences their behavior in general.